PKD DIET These foods are suggestions to try that have been gathered from among our collective experiences – anecdotal knowledge. We are each unique. Before trying something new, check with your doctor. Eliminate toxins, especially kidney toxins, Exercise and rest sufficiently to keep kidney blood flow abundant With normal kidney functioning, one possibility to try, is a diet that is alkaline, plant based, geared toward kidney health, with plenty of starchy vegetables: rutabagas, turnips, sweet potatoes, beans, sweet corn, spelt, rye, turnips, and whole grains with a sprinkling of a few alkaline nuts such as almonds, chestnuts and coconut. A low sodium, 1200 mg sodium diet helps to keep blood pressure low which in turn can help keep cystic organs smaller. A low sodium diet is more easily achieved by cooking all your own foods, eliminating prepared, canned, and take out food. If salt is necessary, one can try measuring out an 1/8 teaspoon of Himalayan salt daily, then tossing any remaining salt at day’s end. The following day start fresh with only 1/8 teaspoon. A neutral protein is neither low protein nor high protein. It is neutral. What goes in, comes out. A neutral plant based protein diet that is individually calculated to 0.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is something to try for maintaining healthy cystic kidneys. Most recently it was discovered that by drinking enough water to shut down vasopressin or about 3 liters of water per day, might help assure the health of polycystic kidneys. Assure that the body takes in EAA essential amino acids and EFA essential fatty acids daily. Talk with your doctor about any of these possible changes that you may wish to try. Avoid all caffeine. (coffee, chocolate, black tea, green tea, white tea cola, and decaffeinated beverages as well). If your doctor permits, try chamomile, rooibos, hibiscus, thyme, saffron, rose hips, linden flower, or veronica tea. For a little bubbly, try freshly pressed cranberry, apple, grape juice or an all juice blend mixed with Perrier or other fizzy mineral water. Remain alkaline.

вЂў Eat foods in season and as close to a home grown state with little processing. вЂў Locally grown is best. вЂў Organic is second best. вЂў Fresh produce is third. вЂў Frozen is fourth. вЂў Try to avoid canned, prepared, fried, and microwaved food.

Ask to see the renal dietitian for a PKD Diet that is alkaline, low salt, neutral protein calibrated specifically for you. An alkaline vegan diet that avoids all animal proteins (ground meats, dairy, egg whites, milk, cheese, beef, pork, chicken), soy proteins, yeast, alcohol, concentrated sugars seems to make us feel better. Fruits and Vegetables to avoid: salted foods, tomato, potato, eggplant, peppers, celery, star fruit, strawberries, plums, prunes, soy, margarine, crisco, potato chips and peanuts. While kidney functioning is still excellent, dietary things that help PKD are also high potassium foods; plant based diets with an emphasis on raw fruits and vegetables; whole food starches such as corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, winter squash. Include a few selected pre-soaked grains (spelt, quinoa, rye, oats, Kashi, brown rice) and pre-soaked nuts (almond, coconut, chestnut). Enjoy plenty of leafy greens, broccoli, radish, and below ground root crops. Soak all beans, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts before eating. This lowers their phytic acid content, making these foods more digestible and alkaline. Salt intake and cholesterol levels are two things that we can alter. These are two things which will alter the outcome of PKD, according to the CRISP study.

ALKALINE PLANT BASED DIET WHOLE FOODS LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE GEARED TO KIDNEY AND LIVER HEALTH A plant based diet that is alkaline and geared toward kidney and liver health seems to work best for most of us. Some have reported an alkaline diet diminishes protein spillage in the urine; lowers blood pressure; corrects anemia, diminishes kidney cyst growth, and for some has resulted in improved kidney functioning. For more on alkaline foods click here.

some BETTER CHOICES when choosing to eat animal protein If it is not possible for you to eliminate all animal foods there are some better choices than others. Limit the quantity of animal proteins to 3 ounces of meat (the size of a deck of cards) or 1 ounce of cheese (the size of one dice), once or twice per week. Should you find this difficult, try eating less than three ounces of animal protein per day. Do not abstain from animal products for several days, then one day, splurge on a large quantity of meat. This is known as eating like a lion and this will reduce kidney functioning in healthy individuals. It decreases the GFR, Glomerular Filtration Rate through the kidneys. Diet Sleuth is a computer program for those wishing to calculate more accurately the amount of proteins, potassium, phosphorus taken daily. For a list of protein in some common foods, click here. BETTER CHOICES ANIMAL FOODS LAMB В 3 ounces В [one lamb chop] FISH В Flat white fish non oily with eyes on the same side of the head CHEESE В soft white cheeses (goat) cottage cheese or quark EGG Poached egg yolk once a month DAIRY cultured Dairy delicious low phosphorus dairy products вЂўbuttermilk вЂўplugra butter. Keep butter to less than a tablespoon per day вЂў cottage cheese (2 ounces) вЂў plain yogurt with added acidophilus – half a cup. For an extra boost, open an acidophilus capsule and add the powder to this half a cup. вЂў buttermilk cultured вЂў skim milk 2 ounces why LAMB is a BETTER CHOICE Lamb has different molecular protein structure than beef. Beef or cows eat grasses that have the residual pesticides still present, long after these chemicals have been banned from farming. Beef cuts that are marbled are said to be the choicest. This marbling that makes the meat so tender is fat. Hormones are stored in the fat tissue and it is these hormones plus the chemicals from the grasses eaten from contaminated soil that is harmful. DAIRY BETTER CHOICES All dairy puts an extra workload on the kidneys and dehydrates the body. The solutes are too large for cystic kidneys to effectively filter. Dairy tends to dehydrate the body. Salt that is added to cheese and ice creams plus the extra large molecular solutes, creates dehydration contributing to a rise in blood pressure and a lessening of kidney functioning. Some of us have experienced with even a small taste of ice cream or a sip of milk, we awaken in the middle of the night with a cotton mouth, parched with an intense thirst. Fatty portions from animal proteins are much more harmful than the leaner sections, i.e. skim milk is preferable to cream. Limit fats to a maximum of one ounce per day. If one continues to eat meats and animal foods than any type of cheese needs to replace the meat for that day. The amount of cheese allowed is one ounce whereas the amount of lean meat is approximately three ounces once or twice a week. Goat cheese is healthier than cow cheese, especially the type made by local farms, especially if one can find a salt free variety is sold. Cultured dairy is preferable i.e. buttermilk, yogurt, plugra butter. Limit butter fat and oils to less than a tablespoon per day.

what FISH are BETTER animal protein CHOICES?Enjoy flat white fish that is non oily and low in fat. such as haddock, cod, orange roughy, perch, For more examples of flat white fish click here. Avoid fish oil supplements. These are high in mercury. Eliminate cod liver oil products by checking the ingredients lists in cosmetics, vitamins, and supplements.

Marlin

0.5

Pollock

1.0

Grouper

1.0

Yellowfin Tuna

1.0

Snapper

1.3

Monkfish

1.5

Ocean Perch

1.6

Mackerel (King)

2.0

Halibut

2.3

Striped Bass

2.3

Smelt

2.4

Rainbow Trout

3.4

Swordfish

4.0

Bluefish

4.2

Catfish

4.3

Bluefin Tuna

4.9

Salmon

6.3

Albacore Tuna

7.2

Lake Trout

9.4

Chinook Salmon

10.4

Mackerel (Atlantic)

13.9

Chinook Salmon

18.0

Why are aspirin, NSAIDs, phenacetin, tylenol, ibuprofen, aleve, to be AVOIDED? These medications have a lifetime cumulative detrimental effect on kidney functioning. If there is the occasional need for aspirin, this is different than taking aspirin everyday for a lifetime. Sometimes the detrimental effects need to be weighed against the positive effects of a medication. For this take your doctor’s advice and question him to explain how this can negatively affect your kidney functioning.

Why is star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) to be AVOIDED? I have enjoyed the gorgeous array of produce from Hilo’s Big Island Farmer’s Market. I had previously eaten star fruit and mango, a traditional local combination. I discovered that star fruit is a known kidney toxin. Star fruit originated in Southeast Asia and is readily available worldwide.. It causes an array of symptoms in patients with chronic renal failure or end-stage renal disease. The symptoms vary and include insomnia, intractable hiccups, agitation, muscle weakness, confusion, consciousness disturbances of various degrees, seizures, and cardiorespiratory arrest. The various star fruit subspecies contain different toxins, including a powerful neurotoxin that is suspected to accumulate in blood, cross the blood-brain barrier in chronic renal failure patients, and eventually leading to irreversible damage. Star fruit intoxication is a serious fruit intoxication frequently observed in patients with chronic renal failure. To date 2 PKD’rs have written about relatives succumbing to star fruit toxins. Because no effective treatment is currently available, patients— especially those who are newly diagnosed with chronic renal failure or end-stage renal disease—must be warned not to ingest star fruit, even in small amounts. Here is a study on a guinea pig heart, recommending that (star fruit) carambola extracts are to be avoided in individuals with normal or diseased hearts. Why is Glucosamine and Chondroitin to be AVOIDED? It is made from shellfish and shark cartilage, these are high in copper and high in oxalates. These are detrimental to individuals with PKD. If one has an iodine allergy to imaging dyes, this may have a cross over allergy. A low – oxalate diet may be necessary to prevent future kidney stone formation. Completed GAIT clinical trials, a multi-center trial of 1500 individuals Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT), run for 24-weeks, concluded that Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone or in combination did not reduce pain effectively in the overall group of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Analyses suggest that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may be effective in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain must be confirmed by another trial. Another clinical trial of Glucosamine supplementation showed that it does not affect blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The American College of Radiologists concluded that there was a possible benefit in severe cases of knee osteoarthritis. Another comment from the NIH. Here are two sources vegetarian glucosamine Freeda vegetarian glucosamine Swanson vegetarian glucosamine.

Why is Noni juice (Morinda citrifolia) to be AVOIDED?В Hawaii is home to the growers of noni juice. Noni has had some cases of harm to kidneys according to the growers of noni juice. They suggested with my history of both kidney and liver disease, I avoid noni. Noni is very high in potassium and has been a cause of very high potassium levels. Lemon juice is a great flush, low in potassium, cheaper to obtain, and makes one alkaline .There are several cases in the literature that link noni to inflamed livers (hepatitis). Hepatitis induced by Noni juice from Morinda citrifolia Hepatotoxicity of Noni juice: report of two cases. Acute hepatitis caused by Noni

Why are multivitamins to be AVOIDED ? ВВ Unless prescribed for you by your physician, avoid multivitamins, instead try individual vitamins as needed. Multivitamins contain high amounts of copper. Researchers have noted that individuals who develop cancers have higher amounts of copper in their bodies. Additionally multiple vitamins contain many of the fat soluble vitamins that can lead to an vitamin excess. Choose an all natural vitamin made from a food source so the micronutrients will be present. Juicing with nutrient dense calorie poor fruits and vegetables are especially good for the body. When some take supplements or vitamins, they take the vitamins specifically needed than re-check vitamin levels. This allows the body to continue to manufacture its own vitamins such as B12 from the food. Certain vitamins if taken after 2pm, interrupt a restful night’s sleep i.e. B vitamins. Some alternate ways to take a month’s vitamins is one month on, and one month off. A report has been released about caution with megavitamins: Unsafe Levels of Selenium Found in Dietary SupplementsROCKVILLE, Md., April 9 — The FDA has identified hazardous levels of selenium as the cause of 43 adverse events stemming from use of certain flavors of the dietary supplements Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega Formula. The distributor of the products, Total Body Essential Nutrition, of Atlanta, has recalled the Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar flavors of Total Body Formula in eight- and 32-ounce bottles and the Orange/Tangerine flavor of Total Body Mega Formula in 32-ounce containers.

How do you easily swallow large tablets? If В bananas are allowed in the diet, try chewing a bite of banana but do not swallow it. Then place the tablet in amongst the chewed banana and swallow both together without chewing the pill.